Velocipede



Pater lted'May 1399. w. H. FAUBER.

V E L0 0 l P E D E, (Application filed Feb. 12, 1896.)

(No Model.)

17202222227." WZZZ aml i/Zzzfiaf pnofwuma, WASHINGTON u c NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILLIAM H. FAUBER, OF oI-IIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

VSELOCIPEVDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,635, dated May 9, 1899. 7 Application filed February 12, 1896. Serial No. 579,000. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. FAUBER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full,

clear, and exact description thereof, reference .belng had to the accompanying drawings,

and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in crank-shaftsfor velocipedes, and more particularly to an improved form of connection between the crank-shaft and the sprocketwheel carried thereby.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described,and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and it will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation of a crankshaft and sprocket-wheel mounted thereon embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the crankshaft shown in Fig. 1, together I with the sprocket-wheel and connecting-arm thereof, which latter are shown in central section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the crank-shaft with the sprocket-Wheel and bearing-ring removed. Fig. 4 is an inner face view of a slightly-modified form of the sprocket-wheel.

The invention is herein shown as applied to a crank-shaft having crank-arms made integral therewith and substantially like the crank-shaft set forth in a pending application filed by me November 18, 1895, Serial No. 569,316; but it is to be understood that the invention is capable of applicationto other forms of crank-shafts and that both of the crank-arms need not necessarily be made integral with the shaft.

Referring to said drawings, Adesignates as a whole the crank-shaft, comprising the shaft proper, A, and the crank-arms A A shown in this instance as integrally united with the shaft Aat opposite ends thereof. The shaft A is provided with two screwthreaded parts a (1', adapted to afford attachment thereto of bearing rings or cones of ballbearings, one of said rings 13 being shown in position upon the crank-shaft in Figs. 1 and 2. The screw-threaded parts a, with which the bearing-ring B is engaged, is located at the extreme end ofthe shaft proper adjacent to its junction with the crank-arm A Said crank-shaft is also provided, adjacent to said arm A with a flange A for the attachment of a sprocket-wheel C, said flange in the instance shown being arranged inthe same plane with the inner side of the adjacent crank-arm and being made. continuous With the latter, so that its inner face a is approximately flush with the said inner side of the crank-arm. The flange A is provided with a plurality of screw-threaded apertures a a ,arranged at intervals around the crank-shaft A.

The sprocket-wheel O is providedwith a flat annular central part or hub '0, adapted to rest in contact with the inner face of said flange A which is provided with a plurality of apertures c 0, corresponding to and adapted to register with the apertures a of the flange A. the hub O and threaded into the flange A whereby said parts are secured together, the heads 0 c of the screws being countersunk into the inner face of the hub, so as to lie flush with the latter, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. The bearing ring or cone B is provided with a flat annular surface, which is arranged to fit closely against the inner face of the hub and to thereby positively prevent the screws 0 G from working loose while the bearing-ring is in position.

In order to connect the sprocket-wheel O with the crank-arm A at a point radially out-' side of thehub, so as to afiord adriving connection of the sprocket with the crank-axle separate from and in addition to the securingscrews C the hub is provided with a projecting part or arm C arranged to extend outward in a plane parallel with the'inner side of the crank-arm A which part is apertured, as'at c .and engages-a lug A formed integrally upon the said arm A in this instance at a point distant from the center of the crank-shaft approximately equal to onehalf of the radius of the sprocket-wheel. The

Screws 0 G are inserted through said lug A is arranged to extend laterally inward or toward the sprocket-wheel parallel with the crankshaft A, and the apertured part of the arm 0 is arranged to fit accurately thereon, so that when the sprocket-wheel is placed upon the crank-shaft said wheel will be immovably engaged with the lug A A main advantage of the construction described is that a positive driving connection is afforded between the crank-arm and sprocketwheel, while at the same time the construction is such that the crank-arm may be bent, as it often is by accident, without throwing out of line or disturbing the sprocket-wheel, the projecting arm 0 for this purpose being made of such size and strength that it will yield and bend under a strain less than that sufficient to distort the entire wheel. This is a feature of importance, because while it is comparatively easy to straighten the arm should this become bent in the manner described it is practically impossible to restore a sprocket-wheel to its original shape after it has become bent or thrown out of true. Moreover, if the crank-arm be twisted, as often occurs, by the striking of the pedal against the ground or some obstruction the projecting arm 0 may also be twisted or bent without injury to the wheel. In any case repairs can easily be made, because the said arm 0 can be easily bent back to place or straightened when bent, distorted, or twisted through accident to the crank-arm.

In order to afford room for clearance both for the sprocket-chain and the guard there for between the crank-arm and the rim of the wheel, the latter is made dished, so as to carry the rim away from the said crank-arm, as indicated in Fig. 2. The particular sprocketwheel herein shown is made of skeleton form, as usual, having a plurality of spokes O 0 made integral with the rim of the hub. When the arm or part 0 is made separate or independent from the spokes, as shown in this instance, the latter, owing to the dished form of the wheel as a-whole, will obviously extend out from the hub at an angle with the said part 0 as indicated in said Fig. 2. If de-' sired, however, the part which extends outward from the hub and is engaged with the lug A may itself constitute one of the spokes,

- such a construction being illustrated at C Fig. 4. This latter construction is not so desirable as that shown in the other figures, because bending of the one spoke is more likely to throw the wheel out of true than the bending of a special arm. Nevertheless the construction described produces some of the advantages obtained by the construction shown in the other figures, because'it affords a simple and convenient means of giving a direct, rigid, and positive driving connection between the wheel and crank-arm of cheap,

simple, and easily-constructed form and one in which accidental bending of the arm is not liable to throw the wheel out of true, because the one spoke which is engaged by the lug on the crank-arm may be considerably bent before the wheel itself will be bent or distorted as a whole.

Other advantages that may be named are the facility with which the parts may be assembled and the rigid character of the connection formed.

, While I have herein shown what I deem to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, yet it will be obvious that the details of construction may be varied to some extent without departure from the invention.

A special advantage is obtained in the use of a sprocket-wheel'of dished form having an arm which is located in the same plane with the wheel-hub, for the reason that by this construction the rim of the wheel may be located at a suitable distance from the crankarm to give room for the chain and chainguard, while at the same time the part of the wheel which engages the crank-arm may be located close to the same and the lug on the crank-arm may be made short, with obvious advantages with respect to both the strength and appearance of the parts.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a crank-shaft provided with a crank arm having an' integral lug projecting laterally therefrom at a point remote from the shaft, of a sprocket-wheel mounted upon the shaft adjacent to the crank arm and provided with an arm projecting outwardly from the hub thereof and having-its end free or disconnected from other parts of the wheel, said arm terminating at and engaged with said lug, whereby the bending of said arm will have no tendency to distort the wheel-rim. Y

2. The combination with a crank-shaft provided with a crank-arm having an integral lug projecting laterally therefrom at a point remote from the crank-shaft, of a dished sprocket-wheel mounted on the crank-shaft with its convex side adjacent to the said crankarm and provided with an arm arranged to project outwardly from the hub thereof in the plane of said hub and which is engaged at its free end with said lug.

3. The combination with a crank-shaft provided with an integral arm, havinga lug upon its inner side atapoint remote from the crankshaft, said shaft having also an annular flange integral with the shaft and crank-arm and having its inner face in the same plane with the inner surface of the said crank-arm, and the shaft being provided with a screw-threaded enlargement adjacent to said flange, of a sprocket-wheel having a flat annular hub arranged to rest in contact with said annular flange, and an integral radial arm on the hub engaged with said lug, means for attaching the hub to said flange comprising a plurality of screws or bolts inserted through the hub and flange and having countersunk heads on myinvention Iaflix my signature, inpresence the inner surface of the flange, and a bearof two witnesses, this 5th day of February, 10 ing-ring engaging said screw-threaded en- A. D. 1896.

lar ement and bearin a ainst the inner side 5 of the hub and against the said heads of the WILLIAM FAUBER' screws or bolts to hold the same from displace- Witnesses: ment. C. CLARENCE POOLE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as WILLIAM S. HALL. 

